In a process of attaching a die to a substrate, a number of stresses and forces may be introduced and transfer the stresses onto the die, the substrate, and a solder bump joining the die and substrate. Processes to attach the die to the substrate in the manufacture and packaging of integrated circuits (ICs) may include subjecting the die and the substrate to high temperatures and pressures. Due in part to the different materials used in the manufacture of ICs, the materials composing the die and the substrate, for example, may expand and contract at different rates. That is, the die and substrate may have different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE).
Heating and cooling materials attached at a common interface and having different CTEs may introduce stresses at the interface. For example, shear and peeling stresses may be introduced at an interface between a die and a substrate of an IC during the manufacture and processing of the IC due to the cycling of temperature. Such stresses may contribute to a delamination of the die, the solder bump, and the substrate.